Adopt-A-Noob: BrainyBurro + ItsTimeCharlie

BrainyBurro

As of May 1st:

Last two months added: 10,522

divide by 61 = 172.49 (current average calorie burn ACB)

1870 (BMR) x 1.2 + 172.49 (ACB)

Result: 2416.49 (approx TDEE)
2416.49 (approx TDEE) – 1000 = 1416.50 (New calorie goal NCG)

I'm currently set up on MFP since the last month oddly to eat 1380cals...I must have said yes to a setting change or something...I didn't bother changing it because I knew my aim so didn't worry too much.

So the daily goal is more I'm living with now.

remember, right now you're NOT eating back those 172 exercise calories per day. that's a needed part of your 1000 per day calorie deficit to get you to 2lbs/week.

as you do more exercise, you can decide for yourself how many of those EXTRA calories you want to eat back (if any). this is different than the way MFP is setup. once you understand this distinction, you could at some point start using the MFP recommendations and just choose not to eat back all of your calories.

MFP assumes that you will eat back all of your exercise calories. it's setup this way to be easiest for most people. however, once you understand the underlying math, then you can use MFP and selectively override the goals it sets for you as it suits you. so long as you know what's really going on, you have complete control. most people don't bother to learn the underlying math and they just blindly follow the MFP recommendations every day. on days without exercise, that could lead to a lower calorie intake close to 1200. we don't want you to go that low. this is why lots of people on the forums complain about being on 1200 calories per day. they don't understand what's going on and just assume that MFP is giving them a valid goal. it isn't. for you, we are accounting for your current exercise level so that we have a nice average intake higher than 1200 so that even on days you are not exercising, you are still eating at a level that allows you to feel full and get your nutrients.

in essence, we are budgeting 172 calories of your 1000 calorie deficit to come from your current exercise level and 828 calories of your 1000 calorie deficit to come from restricting food (i.e. limiting calories in).

because we are assuming that you will be doing that much exercise each day, we calculate your expected average TDEE to be 2416 even on days you don't do any exercise!!!

if you used MFP the way MFP is set up, it would not account for those 172 calories each day UNTIL you logged them. so to start the day, it would think all 1000 calories of your deficit are coming from food restriction and would give you a goal of 1244. this would be too low and this is not the goal i want you to shoot for. so that's why we are not currently following the MFP method. until you understand why MFP comes up with faulty numbers like these and can override them mentally, it's better to ignore the MFP recommendations.

1870 x 1.2 = 2244
2244 - 1000 = 1244 <-- this is how MFP would set your calories with no exercise logged for the day!!!!!

MFP would only become correct if you logged exactly 172 calories of exercise each day. if you log more, it will expect you to eat more calories on the day and raise your goal because it wants your deficit to always be 1000. if you log less, it will lower your goal for the same reason. right now, i think what you do with any extra exercise calories is your choice. so long as you don't eat back the first 172 calories of exercise you'll stay on pace for 2lbs per week.

i hope that's not too confusing.